Egypt prepares for winter, works to finish flood control projects

CAIRO – 25 August 2018: The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation worked on finishing the preparations for winter rains and downpours by carrying out a plan to check the pumping stations, clear canals, water banks and storm drains.

Mohamed Abdel Aati, an official in the ministry, said that the preparation plan included maintenance of all pumping stations nationwide to be ready for sudden rains.
The ministry installed more than 25 emergency units in West Delta near the critical areas, to avoid the recurrence of the 2015 floods.

Khaled Madin, head of the ministry's Irrigation Department said that flood protection projects have been executed, in addition to the projects that have already been accomplished, including 119 dams, about 16 man-made lakes, about 500 underground rainwater tanks, and five channels.

For her part, Nadia Abdel Hamid, a ministry's official, said that a series of flood control projects have been accomplished. The projects included the establishment of numerous man-made lakes, and dams.

In September, Agriculture Minister Ezzedin Abu Stait urged all bodies concerned to take the necessary measures to face possible floods with the beginning of the winter season.
State bodies are always coordinating efforts to better deal with heavy rains and floods and prevent any harm to citizens or damage to their property and crops, Abu Stait said in statements.

Hassan el-Fouly, the director of the General Authority for Agrarian Reform, said directorates in Behaira, Alexandria, Beni Sweif, Fayyoum, Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Luxor and Aswan are urged to coordinate efforts with the Irrigation Ministry to handle the floods, clean canals and make sure warehouses are fit to store production equipment.
Last month, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, in cooperation with the South Sinai governor, inaugurated a project that built a cement barrier to push floodwater into a man-made lake in al-Ismabiya to save city houses from flood risks.

Over the past two years, the government built a number of lakes and barriers to protect South Sinai, especially Taba, from flood risks. In 2014, several hotels in Taba drowned by floods.
The floods, which hit Egypt’s Saint Catherine over the past two days, resulted in the accumulation of around 10,000 cubic meters of floodwater, said the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.